The invention relates to dynamoelectric machine windings and methods for applying such windings to core structures of a dynamoelectric machine and, more particularly, relates to a unique winding form and a method for using such a winding form to apply an electrical winding to the core of a dynamoelectric machine in a manner such that cooling air passageways are readily and efficiently defined between respective turns of the winding and adjacent preselected portions of the core.
In order to improve the heat dissipating characteristics of various types of electrical apparatus that are energized with an electrical winding, it is desirable to form cooling air passageways between turns of the energizing winding and between portions of the winding and adjacent surfaces of the core structure of the apparatus. For example, in the manufacture of dynamoelectric machine rotors that are energized with random-wound windings having axially extended portions thereof mounted in winding slots formed in the periphery of the rotor, it is desirable to form air passageways between the end turns of the windings, and to space the end turns from the respective ends of the rotor so that during its rotation, cooling air will circulate through those passageways and rapidly dissipate heat from the windings.
Before the present invention, in order to provide such cooling air passageways between the end turns of the random wound motor and adjacent magnetic core laminations, it was necessary to either carefully manually arrange the winding turns as they were applied to the rotor to define such desired spacing, or to place manually removable inserts between the winding turns and the core of the machine in order to space the windings from the core during the winding operation. Such known manufacturing techniques are relatively slow and expensive to utilize, and often result in undesirable variations in the pattern of windings applied to the machine. To overcome the drawbacks of known prior art manufacturing techniques, it would be desirable to provide a winding form that could be used in a unique winding method to quickly and efficiently mount a winding in a desired predetermined configuration on an electrical apparatus so that cooling air passageways are defined between the turns of the winding and between the winding turns and the core of the apparatus.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the invention to provide an improved winding form for use in winding an energizing coil on an electrical apparatus.
Another object of the invention is to provide a winding form for use in the manufacture of a dynamoelectric machine rotor to provide consistent spacing between respective turns of the energizing winding of the rotor and between the winding end turns and the outermost laminations of the rotor.
A further object of the invention is to provide a winding form for mounting an energizing winding on an electrical apparatus and for enabling the winding form to be quickly and easily removed from between the apparatus and the installed winding by being either dissolved or melted sufficiently to essentially completely remove the form.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a method for mounting an energizing winding on an electrical apparatus by using a readily removable form to space the end turns of the winding in predetermined spaced relationship to one another and to preselected portions of the apparatus, then to remove the winding form from its operative position by either dissolving or melting it away.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method for making a dynamoelectric machine rotor by mounting foamed-polystyrene winding forms on axially opposite ends of the rotor, applying a winding around the rotor in respective radially aligned, axially extended winding slots therein, and placing the winding end turns over the polystyrene winding forms to space the end turns in predetermined configuration relative to one another and the machine core, then dissolving or melting the winding forms to remove them from the apparatus and leave cooling air passageways in the areas formerly occupied by the winding forms.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a winding form and method for using same to apply an electrical energizing winding to an electrical apparatus more efficiently and uniformly than was possible with prior art winding inserts and manual winding methods.